A Furry Surprise
by RenKain
Summary: Zoro could never figure out why these kinds of things always happened to him, of all people. Harmless Zoro-torture; T for language.
1. Chapter 1

Another side story? Really, I can't stay on track for anything. *Sigh* This one will probably just be a two-part story, though. Or maybe three. Who knows.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece

Warnings: Language

As always, enjoy!

* * *

Zoro kicked sulkily at the packed dirt covering the narrow trail he was currently strolling along, hands in his pockets and scowl firmly in place. Why he was ever forced to take orders from that damned obnoxious sea witch was beyond him. Not that he minded hunting on a mostly-uninhabited and densely-forested island for the upteenth time that month (it did in fact give him a break from his exuberant crew), it was the _way_ he was told to get his ass into the woods right that minute, without so much as a 'please' or 'thank you', that really got under his skin.

He was beginning to feel that he was being seriously taken advantage of (the rest of the crew had figured that out ages ago, bar Luffy, although no one had enlightened the swordsman). Zoro was just starting to ponder on going back to the Sunny, with or without a Luffy-sized meal in tow, when a small squeaking sound from near the heel of his boot caught his attention. Zoro looked down toward the source of the noise and frowned.

"The hell?" he muttered. "What are you supposed to be?"

His stern gaze was met with a pair of large black eyes, surrounded by a small furry face and a twitching pink nose. The small creature, which closely resembled a brown squirrel or something similar, squeaked morosely in reply. It was curled up at the edge of the dirt path with its bushy tail hiding most of its tiny body.

Zoro studied it for a moment longer, decided it was too small to eat, and began walking away down the path, hands still in his pockets.

"_Squeeek!_" the little animal wailed.

Zoro grunted in annoyance and turned back to look down at it. "What do you want?" he snapped. He quickly closed his mouth as he realized he was yelling at a rodent and spun on his heel once again.

"Squee-!"

"The _hell!_" The swordsman stomped over to the creature and reached down, picking it up by the scruff to hold it at eye-level. "What's your problem, you damned pest?"

The animal gave him another squeak and a pitiful look that could rival the captain's whenever Luffy was convinced he was dying of hunger.

That must be it, Zoro thought. The little monster was most likely hungry. "I don't have any food," he told it.

The creature whimpered and looked at him again with pleading eyes and, to Zoro's unending annoyance, he found himself feeling a bit sorry for the pesky rodent. He gave another grunt and set the fur ball in his other palm, where it proceeded to curl up and cover the bottom half of its face with its bushy tail.

"Squee…"

"Dammit!" Zoro growled. He glanced around furtively to make sure none of his crew members had somehow managed to find their way to this part of the forest, then stuffed the little squirrel-like animal into his haramaki. It popped its head out of the top of the green band and gave him a curious look.

"No noise," he warned it. "You get some food, then you get lost. Got it?" He scowled at himself once again for talking to any animal that wasn't Chopper, then turned around and began to walk down the path from the direction he had come.

He was pretty sure that was the direction, anyway.

* * *

Two hours later Zoro finally found himself standing at the shore next to the Sunny. He didn't remember it taking quite so long to get to where he had been in the woods previously, but then decided the other Straw Hats had probably moved the ship while he was out hunting. At least this island was a smaller one, or it would have taken him much longer to locate his wayward crew members.

Zoro reached down and stuffed the squirrel-thing's head back inside his haramaki to keep it out of sight before pulling himself up to the deck by the extra lengths of rope hanging over the side. The tiny beast chirped in protest but Zoro ignored it. He really wasn't in the mood to deal with pathetic wildlife and found himself wondering (again) why he had even brought the damn thing along with him.

Zoro didn't see anyone out on the deck as he moved as quickly as he could toward the galley, readying himself for a battle of wills with the annoying cook in order to obtain a bit of food for the little pest now pawing almost frantically at his shirt.

"Knock it off," the swordsman hissed in irritation. "You wanna get us kicked off the ship?" To his complete surprise, not that he would ever show it, the animal stopped squirming and lay very still inside the haramaki, stretching itself out vertically to blend in with the ridges of the band.

Zoro was beginning to wonder if the thing could actually understand him as he quietly opened the door to the kitchen and looked around for the head of blonde hair that usually dwelt in the area.

"What do you want, shitty swordsman?"

Ah. There he was.

Zoro stepped fully into the kitchen and closed the door. "Bread," he answered in his most none-caring tone. "Or peanuts, or something."

Sanji, standing between the stove and the counter, glared at Zoro over the lit cigarette clamped between his teeth. "Since when do you eat just bread?" he frowned. "And you don't even like peanuts, dumbass." He gave the other man a suspicious once-over. "What are you up to?"

"Piss off, dart brow," Zoro scowled, feeling suddenly defensive. "I just want some, alright?" He planted his feet and had to force himself to remain still as Sanji pushed off from the counter and moved a few steps toward him. He kind of doubted the rodent inside his haramaki would keep quiet for very long if he got into a brawl with the cook, and was equally unsure that Nami would allow it to stay on the ship. Zoro wouldn't put it past the witch to accuse it of carrying some kind of disease and toss the little bastard over-board.

Sanji paused in his advance when the door to the kitchen opened again and Chopper came in, followed closely by Robin. The pair took a seat at the end of the long table, completely engrossed in whatever conversation they were holding at the moment. The cook shifted immediately into his 'pamper beautiful women' mode and skipped back to the counter to make a cold drink for the archeologist, and one for the doctor as well, leaving Zoro to give a silent sigh of relief when his secret remained undiscovered.

Zoro watched the moron cook for another moment before clearing his throat pointedly. "Well? You gonna give me some bread or not?"

"No," Sanji replied without turning away from his work. "We're eating dinner in an hour anyway, you can wait until then." He looked over his shoulder briefly. "And I suppose I'll have to dig something out of storage, since you can't even manage to hunt properly. Shitty moss head."

Aw, crap. Zoro had completely forgotten the reason he had been out on that island to begin with. He was about to start another argument when a small whine sounded from the region of his stomach and he froze.

"What the hell was that?" Sanji frowned, finally turning away from the counter with a tall blue drink in each hand.

"Nothing," Zoro answered through clenched teeth. "I'm just hungry." He was trying not to glance toward Chopper and Robin, who had both looked up at the sudden sound and were studying him curiously.

Sanji shrugged and walked over to the table to set the drinks down and Zoro took the opportunity to scan the counters for any scraps the cook might have left behind. The sooner he fed the tiny annoyance, the sooner he could get rid of it. Maybe he could use another hunting trip as his excuse.

Zoro heard another small squeak as he shifted stealthily toward the unguarded counter and silently cursed both the rodent and his own stupidity for picking the damned thing up in the first place.

"There it is again," Sanji frowned. His visible eye roamed over his precious kitchen in search of the intruder.

Zoro had just decided to abandon the entire mission when Chopper jumped suddenly from his chair and scurried across the room, flying at the swordsman's pant leg and pulling himself up to tug at the edge of the banded haramaki.

"Zoro!" the doctor scolded. "He can't breath!"

Zoro was too surprised to protest as Chopper reached inside the green band and pulled the squirrel-looking thing from its confinement, dropping back to the ground with it's tiny form held tightly to his chest. "Huh?"

"He said he couldn't breath," Chopper held it out to examine it properly. "And he's hungry."

Zoro mentally slapped himself. Of course, Chopper could understand animals, as he still kind of was one himself. How had Zoro forgotten that? "Eh…"

"_That's_ what you brought home for dinner?" Sanji eyed the small creature doubtfully. "That thing wouldn't even fill Nami's stomach, not that I would ever allow such filthy-looking vermin near my sweet angel to begin with. But I guess I could try…"

The poor little creature began to shake in fright, still held in the safety of Chopper's hooves, and Zoro found he couldn't help himself. "Hey! Shut up! It's _not_ for dinner!"

He regretted his outburst almost immediately when Sanji stared at him before he started making a vague coughing sound, which quickly turned into loud yips of laughter.

"You have a _pet?_" the blonde cook crowed gleefully, bent over with one hand on his knee. "What the hell, moss head?"

"It's not a pet, either!" Zoro growled. "I just found it, alright?"

"It's a good thing you did, too," Chopper spoke up. He was smiling down at the small animal, petting the top of its head soothingly. "He's just a baby, after all."

"Hm," said Zoro. Watching the doctor interact with the new arrival, he was now completely convinced that bringing the mini menace here had been a _very_ bad idea.

"May I take a look at him, Doctor?" Robin asked.

"Oh, sure," Chopper nodded and took the baby critter to the table, setting it down gently in front of the black-haired woman.

Robin looked it over for a moment before nodding, almost to herself. "Yes, it's just as I thought," she said quietly.

"What is it?" Zoro and Sanji both asked at once.

"This is a baby Mastinia," Robin explained. "Only a few weeks old, I would guess. But…" she turned to Zoro. "Where did you find it?"

"On the trail," Zoro threw a thumb over his shoulder toward where he assumed the island would be. "Monster wouldn't leave me alone. I thought it was a squirrel or something."

Robin sighed as the Mastinia squeaked at Chopper before pointing its twitching pink nose toward the swordsman.

"What?" Chopper asked, eyes wide. He lowered his face toward the little animal. "Are you sure? Why?"

Zoro frowned again as he watched the baby reply with another sad whine and Chopper shake his head.

"You poor thing," the doctor said sympathetically. "Don't worry, you're safe now. Of course he can protect you."

"What now?" Zoro asked, feeling a slight apprehension as to where this was going.

Chopper looked over in surprise, apparently having forgotten the swordsman was still in the room. "Oh, well…you see…uhm…"

"The Mastinia are incredibly intelligent animals," Robin supplied, smiling at Chopper when the reindeer shot her a grateful look. "They are also very family-oriented."

"And that means what?" Zoro inquired. He was now fighting down an urge to make a hasty retreat out onto the deck, and possibly off the ship altogether. She couldn't mean…

"Well," Robin started, somehow managing to look both serious and amused at the same time. "It would appear that this little one has chose _you_ as his new parent."

Four pairs of eyes were on him as Zoro's brain ground to a halt, trying to process this new information. After a full minute he finally found his voice again.

"_Like hell!_"

* * *

A/N: Ah Zoro, why are you so much fun to torture my dear? *evil laugh*

Next up, how does our favorite swordsman cope with a baby Mastinia _and_ endure the justified teasing of his crew (without killing anyone)?

Who knows?


	2. Chapter 2

Hmm, kind of short this time. And I was trying not to be too vague, hopefully the interactions will become a little more smooth as we keep going, yes?

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece

Warnings: Mild Language.

Enjoy!

* * *

Zoro stared across the kitchen at the rodent as it sat sadly on the table, trembling from head to toe. "There's no way-" he started angrily.

"But Zoro," Chopper pleaded. "He's just a _baby_. And his family-" he glanced quickly at the Mastinia before lowering his voice, as if to make sure it couldn't hear him. "They were all eaten over a week ago. All except for himself. He's completely alone now."

Zoro growled again, a little quieter this time, and watched as Robin glanced down at the baby almost sympathetically and Sanji sighed before returning to the kitchen counter. His hands clenched and re-opened at his sides as he tried to find a way out of this mess without upsetting the doctor too much. "I can't-" he began again. "I don't even know what it _eats_."

"Yet you were going to give it bread and peanuts," Sanji pointed out as he moved around the kitchen. "We'll start with that, then figure out the rest."

Zoro turned to glare at the cook. Of course the idiot would be sympathetic to anything that was hungry, even if it was a rat, or whatever Robin had called it. Aside from that… "Are you actually saying we should _keep_ it?" he asked incredulously.

"No," Sanji sneered as he returned to the table with bits of bread and a bowl of water. "I'm saying _you _should keep it. You found it."

"Him," Chopper corrected as Robin began pulling the bread into even smaller portions before offering them to the Mastinia. "Not 'it'."

"Whatever," Zoro dragged a hand down his face in frustration. "I'm not keeping it. Feed it and take it back." He scowled at the little animal as it sat on its haunches and held a piece of bread with its front paws, eating its small meal the way a squirrel would. He was definitely _not_ going to end up with a pet rodent. For any reason.

"He wont survive on his own," Chopper said sadly. "Not for a while yet. He's still too small."

"And they are a very rare kind of creature," Robin put in as she moved the water within reach of the animal. "The Mastinia only inhabit a certain cluster of islands, these islands, although I hear there are colonies of them on each one." She watched the baby animal take a drink from the bowl and curl up on the table next to her hand. "Perhaps we could search every island until we find a suitable family for him."

"It's a rodent!" Zoro snapped, thoroughly exasperated by this point. "Just find a decent-sized tree or something!"

The Mastinia, which had just been about to fall asleep, opened its eyes again and looked at Zoro with a small whine.

"He says he wont cause you any trouble," Chopper translated. "Please, Zoro?" He stared imploringly at the swordsman from beside the table.

Zoro snarled almost inaudibly as he folded his arms across his chest. He would never admit it out loud, but the combined doe-eyes of the rat _and_ the doctor were starting to break down his stubborn walls. If this kept up much longer he wouldn't be able to say no again.

Zoro was about to give an answer when the door to the kitchen burst open and Luffy darted in noisily, Usopp directly on his heels.

"Sanji!" the captain bellowed. "I'm hungry! I need foo-! Ah!" He had spotted the Mastinia and made a dive at the table. "Food!"

"Don't eat it all!" Usopp shouted as he followed the rubbery idiot. "Luffy! Save some for me!"

"Wait a minute!" Chopper tried to shout over the pair. "You can't eat him! Stop!"

The Mastinia squealed in alarm and jumped quickly from the table to Robin's lap, then onto the floor before scurrying away. It dodged between Usopp's feet and Luffy's reaching fingers with astonishing speed, still wailing in fright.

Robin had crossed her arms, more as a precaution than anything, but when the little creature managed to make it to Zoro and hide behind his boot she relaxed again with a small smile.

"Zoro, catch it!" Luffy called as he spun around and hopped on one foot while trying to regain his balance. "We'll eat it!"

And Zoro, who rarely disobeyed his captain's orders (if ever), replied with, "No."

Unfortunately Luffy didn't seem to hear him while in his hunger-crazed state and Zoro was forced to give the two hyper teenagers his best One More Step And I WILL Cut You glare.

That did it.

Luffy skidded to a halt so quickly that Usopp ran into the back of him and they both face-planted on the kitchen floor. The pair tilted their heads at the same time to look up at the swordsman in surprise.

Zoro, now sure that he had their attention, reached down and plucked the Mastinia off the ground before putting it safely back inside his haramaki. "You can't eat it," he told them firmly. "It's not food."

"What?" Usopp asked as he attempted to disentangle himself from his captain. "What is it, then?"

"Yeah, why's it in the kitchen if we can't eat it?" Luffy was looking from Zoro's face to the haramaki with a small pout. He began to drool very obviously when the furry baby's little head poked out from the top of the band and it eyed them with a cautious stare.

"Apparently it's some kind of endangered rat," Zoro shrugged, doing his best to ignore Sanji's gloating smirk, just visible from the corner of his eye. "And Chopper will get mad if you eat it. So you can't." Well, that wasn't a complete lie, was it?

"Besides," Chopper added angrily. "He's Zoro's new baby!"

Luffy and Usopp's eyes nearly popped out of their skulls as Sanji and Robin did their best not to laugh, Robin with just a little more effort than the cook.

Zoro closed his own eyes and grit his teeth as the kitchen fell silent, pretty sure he was only seconds away from strangling the well-meaning doctor. "He is not _mine!_" the swordsman ground out.

"At least you've stopped calling him 'it'," Robin pointed out.

"Woman!" Zoro warned, eyes snapping open again. "That's not-!"

"Zoro has a baby?" Luffy cut in loudly. He pushed himself into a sitting position, eyes still very round and his straw hat tilted from the tumble, before breaking into a sudden and wide grin. "That's so cool!"

"Maybe we should refer to him as Papa Moss Ball from now on," Sanji suggested. The cook was leaning against the counter with his hands in his pockets, still grinning like a mad man and clearly enjoying every second of Zoro's obvious discomfort.

"I'm gonna stab you!" Zoro snarled as he whipped around toward Sanji. The Mastinia squeaked in alarm and Zoro paused, growling at the blonde cook one more time before turning away again. This. Was. Not. Happening.

"If it isn't yours then why are you carrying it?" Usopp asked curiously.

Zoro focused his furious glare on Usopp instead, briefly entertaining the idea of tying their sniper to the anchor and tossing him over the rail. "I already told you," he said angrily. "It's not food. So I can't just go and let Luffy eat it, can I?"

Usopp frowned at him. "That doesn't really explain-"

"Arg!" Zoro threw his hands in the air. "Enough! I've had enough!" With that he turned and stomped out of the kitchen, slamming the door closed behind him.

The Mastinia gave a low squeak as it peered up at him from the folds of the green band.

Zoro gave it another stern look before stalking off toward the ladder leading up to his weight room. "Robin had better be right about all that," he muttered. "Otherwise you're going right back where I found you."

"Squeak…"

* * *

Zoro had been lounging for a good thirty minutes in the blissful quiet of the observation/weight room, dozing in and out while the rodent busily cleaned its tail on the bench beside him. He was still going over the best way to be rid of it for good, his thoughts drifting from blank sleep to half-assed ideas, when the horizontal door opened with a creak.

Zoro heard the scrape of painted metal against wood and had to guess that Franky had come up to borrow one of the weights, probably thinking about giving it a modification of some kind (seriously, the man had an unhealthy obsession with metal). He ignored the intrusion and was just drifting off again when the cyborg's loud voice cut through to his conscious mind.

"_Infestation!_ My beautiful ship has a rat infestation! Look out, Sword Bro! I'll get rid of it for you! Left Cannon!"

CLICK.

Zoro's eyes shot open immediately at the sound of Franky's arm cannon coming to life.

_Aw_ _crap!_


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I have absolutely no excuse for this entire story, besides the fact that Zoro is just too much fun not to mess with some days. Really, the man is such a teddy bear. A scowling and very _dangerous_ teddy bear if anyone threatens his crew, but still a teddy bear all the same.

Disclaimers: I do not own One Piece

Warnings: Language, as usual

Anyway, thanks for the reviews on this story so far! Sorry the chapters are so short!

* * *

Zoro rolled off the bench, scooped the little beast carefully into one hand and was on the other side of the circular room in less than a second.

"What the _hell_, you crazy metal monster!" he yelled as Franky turned the top half of his huge body to look at him in surprise. "You're gonna blow a hole in your own ship?"

Franky froze in the square opening, one arm still lifted and pointing to where Zoro was a moment before and his mouth slightly agape. "Eh?" he said. "You _don't_ want me to get rid of it?" His gaze moved down to the Mastinia with a look of confusion.

Zoro seemed a little surprised for a moment as he glanced down and saw the baby Mastinia, sitting in his open hand and shaking like mad, and only just realizing he had grabbed the damn thing before leaping out of the way. "No," he answered after a moment. "Not like _that_." He turned his attention back to the cyborg with a frown. "Jeez Franky, what's with the cannon, anyway? It's a rodent, not a Sea King."

"Well, no one told _me_ you had a pet squirrel," Franky said a little defensively as he lowered his cannon and shifted his wrist back into place. "I thought it was gonna bite you or something."

"It is not a pet!" Zoro snapped. "It's just up here for awhile so Luffy doesn't try to eat it. You know how he gets sometimes."

"Ah," Franky suddenly looked enlightened. "Got it. So what is that thing, then?"

"No idea," Zoro shrugged and stuffed the animal into his haramaki once again, letting its head and front legs dangle over the side. "A…mast-eater…or something. Ask Robin."

"It eats _ships_?" Franky's eyes widened in alarm. "And you brought it _here_? Not a super idea, Sword Bro! I can't let my precious Sunny get so much as a _scratch_-!"

"Does this thing look like it can eat a ship?" Zoro interrupted angrily, pointing at the fur ball's twitching pink nose. "Don't be dumb. It's a rodent, I just don't remember what the hell it's called, alright?"

"Oh." Franky fell silent for several seconds, studying the irritated swordsman and his new charge. "So, why do you have-"

"Just don't ask," Zoro shook his head. He tried to fold his arms, realized the movement would squish the rat, and stuck his hands into his pockets instead. "What did you come up here for, anyway?"

"That's right," Franky slapped one enormous hand against the wood beside him, making the Mastinia jump in alarm and Zoro roll his eyes at the both of them. "Cook Bro said it's time to eat, and asked me to come get you so he didn't have to send Robin or the bratty girl up the ladder."

_And conveniently forgot to mention the rodent, I'm sure_, Zoro thought with another frown. The cook was going to get a sword hilt right in his curly-browed eye as soon as Zoro reached the kitchen. "Yeah, whatever," he said out loud. "Let's go."

* * *

Most of dinner that evening consisted of Luffy and Usopp trying to play with the Mastinia, Chopper scolding them and telling them no, and Brook and Nami eyeing the small animal with watchful gazes. The bony musician because he was slightly afraid of anything that resembled a rat, and Nami because…well, it was a bit hard to tell, really.

It turned out that the Straw Hat navigator wasn't nearly as opposed to having the Mastinia on their ship as Zoro had thought she would be. Although she shot it calculating looks from the corner of her eye every once in awhile, about half-way through the meal the swordsman had witnessed her sliding a small scrap of dinner roll over to where it sat beside Zoro's elbow, a move so small it could have been passed off as accidental. Zoro knew better, though.

Nami might act stern sometimes but she had a heart as big as any of them, and after hearing that the Mastinia had been recently orphaned, her walls had broken even faster than Zoro's had. It was enough for Zoro to decipher the nearly constant glances as pertaining more to the animal's long term well-being, and less to it being a threat to their health. She was probably trying to calculate how much it would be eating during its stay, and what that would mean for their captain's own meals. Considering the size of the rodent, Zoro doubted the Sunny's food stock would suffer so much as a dent, even if the little pest stayed with them permanently.

Which would _not_ be happening, he thought stubbornly.

As the dinner plates were being cleared away by Sanji, Franky had suggested making some kind of cage for the Mastinia, an idea that was quickly shot down by Chopper.

"It wouldn't be right to cage him," the doctor explained. "But maybe a small box of sand wouldn't be so bad to have around."

"A box of sand?" Zoro repeated, looking up from where he had been trying to get the baby animal to let go of his thumb without hurting it. The thing was _clingy_. "What would it need that for?"

"'He'," Chopper reminded the swordsman patiently. "And, well…he'll need to use the bathroom somewhere, right?"

"So, it's for pooping," Luffy nodded, having _finally_ understood something Chopper had been trying to tell him about the Mastinia for the last hour.

Chopper sighed in defeat but gave an affirmative head tilt toward the captain anyway. "Yes, Luffy." He turned to look at Zoro for approval. "Well?"

"Eh," said Zoro. He hadn't given it much thought, to be completely honest. "Whatever you think, I guess." Really, he was still in blatant denial that he had been saddled with the mini monster to begin with. Planning for its care wasn't anywhere near the top of his priorities list.

"That settles it, then," Chopper smiled and turned to Franky. "A shallow, topless box to fill with some sand from the beach. And maybe another box for him to sleep in, if you have time. I'd bet I have some spare rags we could put inside it as well, to make it more comfortable for him."

"No problem, Doc," Franky grinned. "Coming right up." He left the kitchen, presumably headed for his work room on the lower deck.

"Hey Chopper," Zoro started. "Since you're so good with animals, why don't _you_ just take care of it?"

No sooner had he finished his sentence than the baby Mastinia hopped onto the back of his hand where it rested on the newly-cleaned table, giving a small squeal of protest.

"That's why," Chopper grinned as nearly everyone else at the table snickered at Zoro's look of barely-disguised irritation.

"Besides, you're quite good with him, Swordsman," Robin assured him from across the table. She wasn't laughing but her small smirk of amusement told Zoro that she was just as entertained by his discomfort as the rest of them.

"Great," Zoro muttered to no one in particular. He shot another frown at the rodent as it stretched itself out across his hand possessively. "This is just not my day."

* * *

And so the evening ended with Zoro placing the little monster in its make-shift bed and climbing into his hanging bunk beside it.

The other men were already sprawled across their own bunks (or in Brook's case, on the floor; he would inevitably end up there, anyway) and barely spared a glance toward Zoro or the furry animal, as exhausted as they all were from their daily shenanigans.

Zoro took a deep breath, glad the nightmare of a day was finally over and wondering if he could still manage to push the Mastinia off onto the doctor somehow, when a light scrabbling noise pulled him from his almost-sleep state. A moment later he frowned as the baby in question pulled itself over the edge of the bunk and scurried up the swordsman's side before settling on his chest and closing its dark eyes contentedly.

"Not a chance," Zoro told it. "Never gonna happen." He plucked the intruder from his shirt and hauled himself back to the floor to set it in the box, then climbed into bed once more.

The thing was back even faster this time, curling itself disturbingly close to Zoro's face and giving a quiet whine in his ear.

"I don't care," Zoro growled at it in warning. "Sleep in your own damn bed."

"There's something wrong with you, shitty swordsman," Sanji mumbled tiredly. "The one thing on the planet willing to cuddle with you and you're still pushing it away."

"Shut up, love cook," Zoro bit back as he pulled the animal away from his neck and sat up.

"I'll cuddle with you, Zoro," Chopper offered from the other set of bunks.

"I wasn't asking!" Zoro snapped, sounding a bit more harsh than he had meant to. He sighed and continued with a tone of forced calm, "Just go to sleep, Chopper."

Chopper grumbled quietly, already drifting off, and Zoro swung himself off the bunk to set the Mastinia back inside its little box.

"Stay," he ordered.

The baby whined pathetically as Zoro turned away and he had to actually try to ignore it's pleading cries, which was more than a little unsettling for him. He was still frowning when he lay down again and eventually closed his eyes.

This time the tiny creature obeyed the swordsman's demands and Zoro was able to finally drift to sleep, free of the fear of being smothered during the night by a ridiculously bushy tail.

* * *

Zoro awoke at dawn the next morning to the cook's annoying voice calling for everyone to come to breakfast. He ignored the summons and instead decided to roll over and stuff his face underneath the soft feather pillow.

It had been decided the previous night that a select number of the crew would go ashore to see if they could find out what the Mastinia would eat apart from bread, as surprisingly Robin's books hadn't yielded much information besides their location, and to find out if there was another colony of them somewhere on the island. As such the morning meal was being served much earlier than usual, a fact that Zoro was most definitely _not _happy about.

After another obnoxiously loud call, followed by a string of specific and detailed threats (directed mostly at the swordsman), Zoro finally rolled himself off the bunk to land lightly on his feet. As he stretched his stiff muscles he looked down to see an empty box sitting on the floor next to the wall. Zoro stared at it in confusion, running a hand through his hair and yawning. An empty box? Where did that come from?

It came back to him slowly at first; that the box wasn't actually _supposed_ to be empty, and that the thing he had placed inside it the night before was currently nowhere in the vicinity, as far as he could tell.

Zoro was fully alert in less than a second after that realization and it only took another second for him to work out what had probably happened.

"_Luffy!_"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry this one took a little longer to finish. I left for the weekend and forgot to bring my laptop with me (who does that?). This one turned out to be more of a filler chapter anyway. Hope you still enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece (please try to contain your shock)

Warnings: Language.

* * *

Zoro forced his way through the door of the men's sleeping quarters and stalked out onto the lawn of the Sunny, growling continuously under his breath as he did so.

"That _stupid_, rubber-brained idiot! If he so much as _thinks_ about- Argh! I'm gonna be in a shit-load of trouble!"

The angry swordsman's early morning rant was cut short as he spotted a bright patch of red cloth in the middle of the Sunny's grassy deck. He gave another snarl as he immediately recognized it as the moronic captain in question's shirt-vest.

Luffy was currently sitting cross-legged on the deck with his back to Zoro, looking down and giggling quietly.

Zoro turned on his heel and walked in the direction of his captain's amused snorts and snickers, still fuming. "Where is he?" he shouted angrily. "Luffy, I _told _you not to eat-!"

Zoro stopped short as Luffy turned the top half of his body at an unnatural angle, revealing the baby Mastinia bouncing on the grass in front of his feet and chasing a long thread of blue yarn, the other end of which was being held between two rubbery fingers.

"Oh, hey Zoro," Luffy grinned up at the scowling swordsman. "Come look at what your pet can do. It's so funny!"

"Not mine," Zoro corrected automatically. He then grudgingly moved closer to watch as Luffy tugged quickly on the yarn and the furry pest flipped itself several feet up into the air to try to catch it. As it descended toward the deck again the Mastinia spread itself out mid-fall, its tiny body flattening oddly, and drifted down to the grass like a feather.

"The hell?" Zoro frowned, his brow furrowed in confusion. "What was _that_?"

"Maybe this guy is made of rubber, too," Luffy suggested with another chortle. He yanked on the yarn again and the Mastinia repeated the action.

"Eh, I doubt it, Luffy," Zoro looked on for another moment before bending down with a sigh and scooping the small animal from the Sunny's manicured lawn. It squeaked at him in a way that Zoro could only interpret as 'happy' and twisted its head around to look up at him. "Come on," Zoro told the both of them. "You two can play later. Let's get to the kitchen before the shit cook starts chucking pans at us again."

Luffy looked put off for a moment as his new friend was snatched away from him but brightened immediately at the mention of the kitchen, which no doubt promised breakfast. "Okay!" he agreed and leapt to his feet to bounce away, the baby Mastinia completely forgotten from one instant to the next.

Zoro shook his head once in exasperated resignation and followed his energetic captain while the furry little mutant continued to make pleased chirping sounds in his direction.

Zoro ignored it.

* * *

An hour later Zoro and the rat were waiting for Robin, Franky, Sanji and Luffy to join them on the shore of the forested island. Robin was coming along for her source of information and Sanji because Robin would be there. Franky insisted on going as well, claiming boredom as an excuse. Luffy would be accompanying them because, well, it was _Luffy_, and there was simply no way the captain was going to miss out on what could be an 'island adventure'.

Zoro folded his arms and sighed in frustration. He was okay with Robin's company and he could tolerate the cyborg quite well. Luffy was (understandably) a bit worrying for the swordsman but he had plenty of experience in dealing with the stretchy idiot. But why did he have to put up with the shit cook, too? Wasn't _one_ nuisance enough for this trip?

Zoro gave another huff of irritation and the Mastinia squeaked at him in question from where it perched comfortably on his shoulder. The thing had started out back inside the haramaki, but as it spotted the forests of its home it had crawled up Zoro's shirt to settle beside his earrings, chirping happily once again. Not in the mood to fight with it, Zoro had simply allowed the tiny beast to stay where it was. For now.

"'S fine," he rumbled back at the Mastinia, thoroughly disturbed by how well he could understand the little monster, even without the use of actual words. "But they'd better get their asses down here fast. I want to get this over with."

The group didn't have much time for their little excursion anyway, as Nami had told them to return to the ship in no more than two hours, as that was when the log pose was due to set itself for the next course. If Zoro had to guess, the course would take them to the island directly after this one, then the one after that, and so one until they were free of the string of heavily wooded islands.

Zoro frowned as he remembered Chopper happily pointing out that this route would give them even more opportunity to find a colony for the Mastinia. He hoped their goal would be accomplished on _this _island, as he didn't know how much more teasing and unwanted clinging (from the crew and rodent respectfully) he could take without going insane.

After another minute Robin and Franky moved into view on the Sunny's deck, the archeologist sitting comfortably on the cyborg's arm as he leaped over the railing to land on the beach. Franky lowered Robin to the ground in an unusually careful manner and turned to watch Luffy and Sanji land beside them.

"Alright!" Luffy said loudly with one hand on his hat. "Let's go find some food!"

"For the _Mastinia_," Sanji finished pointedly. He looked to Robin for approval on correcting their idiot captain, his eyes gooey and sparkling.

"Yes," Robin nodded calmly. She walked over to where Zoro stood a few feet away and raised a hand to pet the baby's furry little head. "And to find others like him, if we can."

"The sooner, the better," Zoro agreed as he leaned his head away from the bushy tail now tickling his ear. "Let's go."

"Yeah!" Luffy punched the air and ran ahead of the group as they started toward the forest. "Lets go eat the Mastinia!"

"_Find_ the Mastinia!" Zoro and Sanji both snapped at him.

"Jeez, Luffy," the cook continued. "You literally _just_ ate. Bottomless pit."

Luffy paused on the trail to look back at Sanji over his shoulder. "But I'm hungry," he explained.

"Then you'd better hurry and find the colonies," Sanji told him firmly.

This seemed to give the captain a new resolve as he ran ahead even faster than before. "Alright!"

"Is this even gonna work?" Zoro wondered out loud. "What if we can't find them?" He had been trying very hard not to think about that possibility.

"Then it looks like you'll have a _super_ pet after all, Sword Bro," Franky grinned at him knowingly, as if this was what the swordsman had been secretly wishing for all along.

"That is _not_-! Arg!" Zoro shook his head in frustration, making his earrings clank together and scaring the fur ball right back into his haramaki.

"I'm sure we'll be able to find them, Swordsman," Robin said, moving to place herself between the two men as they walked along the path.

"Don't know about that," Sanji mumbled from the back of the group. "With the shitty swordsman leading us back to where he found it, we could be here all damn week and never see any sign of a colony."

"You wanna get cut?" Zoro snarled over his shoulder.

Sanji shrugged, clearly unconcerned. "I'm just telling it the way it is, idiot moss head. You couldn't find your way out of an empty room, and this forest isn't exactly laid out in grids."

"I do have an idea," Robin cut in before a fight could erupt in the middle of the path, "as to where they might be. We can check that area first, then continue if necessary."

They all agreed it was probably their best bet, and Franky and Zoro moved back to let Robin lead the way.

"Eh," Franky started a few minutes later. "Where's Straw Hat?"

"No idea," Sanji dismissed the question immediately.

"Who knows?" Zoro shrugged.

"He'll be fine," Robin agreed.

They had only taken a few more steps when they heard Luffy's loud shout through the dense crop of trees from somewhere up ahead of them. This was followed by a resounding crash and what sounded suspiciously like falling rocks.

"Or maybe not," Robin amended. She turned to look at Zoro and Sanji but they had already taken off in the direction of the uproar.

The Mastinia squealed when the swordsman began sprinting down the path and ducked its head inside the haramaki.

"It's fine," Zoro frowned at it. "Just stay in there."

"If you don't stop talking to that thing," Sanji said from beside him, "I'm going to start to actually worry about you, shitty swordsman."

"Stuff it, love cook," Zoro scowled. "It's not your business. Just keep your trap shut and help me find Luffy."

"Don't wander off, then," Sanji retorted. "One lost idiot is all I have the patience for today."

"_I do not get lost!_" Zoro snarled.

"You'd get lost on the damn _deck_ half the time if someone wasn't babysitting you, moss-for-brains!" the blonde man sneered back.

Zoro put one hand on the hilt of Wado Ichimonji and bared his teeth. "You wanna fight it out, curly brow?" he shouted.

"If you think you can beat me, cave monster!" Sanji skidded to a halt on the dirt path, sending a dust cloud into the air around them.

Zoro stopped as well and pulled his sword free of its hilt. He faced Sanji as the cook raised his right leg, preparing for the first attack.

"Uh…hey, guys?"

"_WHAT!_" Both men whipped around at the interruption and froze in surprise, mouths open and argument completely forgotten. Their reactions weren't all that unwarranted, given the sight that met them when they turned to look down the path.

"What the _hell_?" Zoro gaped.

"_Luffy!_" Sanji was equally flabbergasted. "What _happened?_"

Their captain was standing casually in the middle of the path, and looked for all the world as if the fact that his face and left arm were swelling and growing blue bubbles from his skin didn't concern him all that much.

"Eh…well, you see," Luffy started, his voice coming out strained and slurred. "There was this snake thing, and I just wanted to play with it but it bit me and I think it might be poisonous cause I can't really breath anymore-"

"IDIOT!" Zoro and Sanji both shouted before simultaneously darting forward and grabbing Luffy wherever they could reach to pull him down the path.

"We have to get him back to Chopper," Sanji said unnecessarily. "Dammit, Luffy! Can't you stay out of trouble for _five minutes!_" He had apparently forgotten that both he and Zoro had been _causing_ trouble (with very little outside help) not thirty seconds before.

A sudden though occurred to the swordsman as they dragged Luffy back to the Sunny, the captain's rubbery legs flapping out behind him like bizarre wind socks. If they wasted their precious time taking care of Luffy, they would miss their opportunity to scan this island and would have to take the Mastinia with them to the next one. Which meant more time he would be forced to endure the rodent.

Zoro growled under his breath and tightened his grip on his moronic captain's shirt. As soon as Luffy was saved by their doctor, Zoro was going to kill him.


	5. Chapter 5

I do sincerely apologize for this _very_ short chapter. It had to be split up and this was the best place to do it. Hopefully the next one will be much longer.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.

Warnings: Mild Language.

Enjoy!

* * *

Zoro dozed on the deck of the Sunny, arms folded with his back to the railing and his long legs stretched out in front of him. He had allowed the Mastinia to perch on his knee while it cleaned its paws, provided it didn't make too much noise, and could now feel its little heartbeat slow down as it too settled in for an afternoon nap.

They had set off from the island two hours previous, headed to the next one with the hopes of re-stocking some of their supplies and getting rid of the pest.

The last bit was probably better applied to Zoro, as the rest of the Straw Hat crew seemed to enjoy having the little animal on their ship. Even Brook had warmed up to it considerably while they all waited for Chopper to administer an antitoxin to their captain, and while the poor doctor then had to apply bandages to both Luffy and Zoro after their little brawl on the deck (the last of course being Zoro's retribution for wasting their precious time on the island).

Zoro heard someone approaching them slowly, Usopp by the sound of the hesitant steps, but didn't bother to open his eyes. He continued to doze without a care as the sniper crouched down in front of him, next to his legs, and just sat there.

Zoro held back a sigh of annoyance. He did not particularly enjoy being watched while he was trying to sleep, something Usopp should have been aware of. After another moment of silence Zoro sensed a small movement and, realizing Usopp was reaching for the Mastinia, growled in warning.

"Oh, come on," Usopp griped, but he pulled back anyway and sat down on the deck. Apparently he preferred to keep all of his limbs intact for as long as possible. "Luffy got to play with him. Why can't I?"

"It's not a damn toy," Zoro replied shortly. "Go find something else to do."

Usopp gave a loud and dramatic sigh. "You're no fun when you're being a parent."

Zoro's eyes snapped open at that and he glared at the gangly kid next to him. "What'd you say?" he growled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Usopp scooted back a few feet before regaining his composure. "Well," he started in a reasoning tone. "Isn't he like your baby or something? That's what Chopper said yesterday, right?"

"No," the swordsman scowled. "Definitely not. I'm just watching it until we can get rid of it for good."

"You keep saying that," Usopp tilted his head to one side. "But every time I've seen you in the past couple of days, this little guy has been either sitting on you, next to you or hiding in your haramaki." He gave the swordsman an assessing look.

"The hell's your point?"

"I think you actually like him," the sniper concluded with a slight nod of his chin.

"Don't be stupid!" Zoro snapped. "I'd just rather have it sit quietly in one place than be constantly whining at me. That's all."

"Uh-huh," Usopp looked like he didn't believe that statement in the least. "Then why can't I play with him?"

"Because," Zoro struggled for a suitable excuse. "It's sleeping."

"What about later?"

"No. It's too small to play with, anyway."

"I'll be careful."

"_No_, Usopp."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so!" Zoro yelled, fully fed up with the discussion. "Now get lost!"

"But Luffy got to-"

"Luffy _stole_ the damn thing!" Zoro cut in angrily. "He didn't actually _ask_." He watched as Usopp's brow furrowed and he looked from Zoro's face to the Mastinia, which was now awake and sitting up while it eyed them curiously. He could practically see the wheels beginning to turn in the sniper's head and frowned. "Don't even think it," he warned. "I'll know if you try."

Usopp pouted and gestured at the rodent. "He's not asleep anymore," he pointed out unnecessarily. "Can I-"

"I said no!" Zoro shouted. "Go away!"

Usopp gave in with another sigh and got to his feet, walking off toward the galley and grumbling under his breath as he went.

Zoro settled back again and closed his eyes, arms folded behind his head. He couldn't say why but the thought of either Luffy or Usopp playing with the Mastinia made him slightly nervous. Probably because neither of them were known for being very careful while having any kind of fun. Although admittedly Usopp was more likely not to get carried away and accidentally hurt the baby rodent. Still, better safe than sorry.

"I see your protective instincts are as strong as ever, Swordsman."

Zoro opened his eyes and looked over to where Robin sat in her deck chair near the mast, a book in one hand and a cup of coffee on the small table next to her. He had known she was there when he came out to the deck earlier, but had nearly forgotten about her quiet presence during his argument with Usopp.

"Eavesdropping again?" he asked with another frown. He brought his arms down to fold them against his chest.

Robin smiled at his defensive reaction. "Well, it is a bit difficult to ignore two people shouting at each other when they are both only a few feet away from me," she explained. "And," she continued, her smile changing to a smirk. "I notice you didn't actually deny the remark on your protective nature."

Zoro scoffed at her and closed his eyes once again, intent on ignoring the archeologist and her overly-observant habits.

"Everyone inside!" Nami called suddenly from the upper deck. "We're planning for the next docking! And we'll need to make a few new cart designs for whatever food we manage to find, since _someone_ managed to destroy all of the others!"

Zoro grinned to himself as he remembered the incident that had led to the captain accidentally smashing every single one of the food carts on the lower deck. That had been interesting, to say the least. Nami had nearly tried to kill everyone in the area, shouting about how each of the carts had been designed _specifically_ for the stronger crew members, and how it had taken her _weeks_ to get both Zoro and Luffy to cooperate long enough to obtain measurements for their pulling harnesses.

And, although it had been _Luffy _to do the actual smashing, Nami had even threatened to raise _Zoro's_ ever-increasing interest, which the swordsman thought had been rather unfair.

Zoro had just re-settled against the railing, deciding to let the other crew members handle the cart planning business, when another irritated voice caught his attention.

"Hey, shitty moss head!" Sanji's angry tones cut across the deck from the open kitchen door. "You heard the lady! Get your lazy ass up here and make yourself useful for once!"

Zoro sighed before scooping the baby Mastinia from his knee and getting slowly to his feet, stretching his arms in preparation for yet another fight with the obnoxious cook.

It was becoming very apparent to him that he wasn't going to be getting his afternoon nap today.


	6. Chapter 6

Another unforgivably short chapter. Sorry. Although, still pretty good as this was originally intended to be about two or three chapters long, haha.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.

Warnings: Mild Language.

Enjoy!

* * *

After their impromptu planning session (the witch had made them all sit through _three_ _hours_ of torturous details about their harnesses and exploring routes; Luffy was in tears of boredom by the end of it), Zoro managed to escape back out to the relative calm of the foredeck.

He had tried, unsuccessfully, to doze a bit while Nami chattered nearly nonstop at everyone in the galley, but every time an attempt was made he was then forced to block the stupid cook's shoe just before it collided with his face. This would always trigger another shouting match and Nami would end each one with a quick fist to the sides of their head. And now Zoro was not only tired and cranky, but also had a slight headache to sleep off, as well.

Choosing a quiet, semi-shaded spot on the starboard side, Zoro sat down on the deck in his traditional napping pose and closed his eyes.

"Squeak."

Damn it all, anyway.

"What do you want?" Zoro growled without looking down at the Mastinia curled once again in his green band. "I already took you to your box."

"…Squee-"

"_What?_" Zoro cracked one eye to glare at the rodent in irritation. He was met with a similar expression to the one he had first seen the little rat wearing when he had found it in the woods. "Oh, come on," he said in exasperation. "You just ate."

It was true. The cook had insisted on serving several snacks to the crew (and the Mastinia) for the duration of the meeting, and the little beast had been munching away on a piece of soft bread not twenty minutes before.

"Squeak!"

Zoro sighed in defeat, rubbing tiredly at one eye, and stood up again. Between being able to somewhat stretch it's little body and constantly wanting to be fed, this thing was reminding him more and more of the captain. "Fine." he grumbled. "Let's go." He started back down the steps and across the grassy deck of the ship, trying not to stomp his feet as he walked.

"Hey, Zoro."

The swordsman turned to see Nami walking toward him, holding a sheet of paper in one hand and a length of rope in the other. He stopped short, instantly suspicious.

"Come here," the navigator continued. "You still don't have your harness measurements and Franky needs to start on the carts as soon as possible, since we'll be at the next island tomorrow afternoon."

"I don't need a _harness!_" he snapped at her for the fiftieth time that day. "I'm not a damn cart-horse!"

Nami walked the rest of the way across the deck to stand directly in front of him. "Hey, I'm doing this for _your_ benefit," she explained, punctuating her statement with a poke to his chest.

"I'll bet," Zoro sneered. "Or is it because your real goal in life is to humiliate us as much as possible, damn witch?"

Nami opened her mouth angrily to respond, but never had the chance to do so as just then the Sunny rocked violently to the side as something smashed against the bow of the ship. Zoro planted his feet and grabbed the navigator by the elbow to keep her from sliding away from him, then turned to see what had caused the sudden commotion.

"What is _that?_"Nami shrieked.

Zoro studied the huge beast rising out of the water for a moment longer, frowning thoughtfully. "A Sea King?" he guessed. "Probably."

"Well, don't just stand there!" Nami snapped at him. "Go kill it before it wrecks our ship!"

Zoro certainly did _not_ appreciate her tone, but turned anyway and pulled the Mastinia from his haramaki, shoving it toward the navigator. "Fine," he replied. "Hold this." He let go when he felt Nami catch the rodent on reflex, ignoring her irritated protests, then spun again and sprinted toward the bow of the ship, drawing two swords from their sheaths. He doubted he would need all three, as the monster didn't appear to be all that strong.

It was fast, though. And it already had a good hold of the Sunny's figurehead by the time Zoro reached it, forcing the swordsman to spend a full minute just getting the damn thing to _let go already._

It was fairly quick work all the same, even without his afternoon rest, and with a few well-placed attacks Zoro watched the carcass of the Sea King drop back into the ocean and out of sight. He dropped back to the deck and replaced his swords (after quickly removing the slime the disgusting monster had left on them) and made his way down to where he had left Nami and the rat.

Zoro frowned when Nami didn't turn to face him, watching her scan the riggings above them. He had a feeling he knew exactly what she was looking for. "Where is he?" the swordsman asked immediately, picking up his pace to reach her side.

"He…got away from me," Nami said, sounding both surprised and worried. She whipped her head around sharply to glare at him. "You didn't tell me your pet could _fly!_"

"I don't think it can fly," Zoro mused, for once forgetting to correct someone on the 'pet' comment. "But it can jump pretty high." _And it's been getting bigger._

He had noticed this earlier, after leaving the galley to scout for a napping spot, but had chalked it up to simply getting used to having the abnormally small animal around him constantly. Zoro moved his gaze away from the sails after being unable to spot the baby Mastinia, glaring at the navigator. "I told you to hold him," he said angrily.

"I did!" Nami scowled. "But as soon as you left, he started freaking out and got away from me!"

"Above you," Robin called calmly from where she stood at the rail of the aft deck, watching in amusement.

Not even bothering to ask how Robin knew that, Zoro turned around and held still as the Mastinia glided into his chest, clinging to his shirt and whining loudly. He gave an annoyed snort as he plucked it from the fabric to hold it in his hand.

"See?" Nami said with a note of confidence, although she was still eyeing the creature curiously as it bounced back to it's original shape. "It's fine."

"Whatever," Zoro responded half-heartedly. He kept the monster in his palm this time and stomped away, heading for the kitchen.

"Wait, Zoro," Nami called. "We still haven't worked out your-"

"No," Zoro cut her off. "I already told you, not gonna happen." He brushed past Robin and through the galley door, closing it behind him.

Sanji (predictably) was standing at the counter while Chopper and Usopp had surrounded Luffy in the middle of the room, next to the long table. The captain was looking thoroughly put out, standing with his arms held out to the sides as he was wrapped in rope and measuring tape. Which would explain why he hadn't come outside to help fight off the Sea King.

There were few things in the world that could keep Luffy from enjoying a nice, relaxing brawl, and Nami was one of them.

Zoro ignored the bizarre sight of their partially-mummified captain and made straight toward Sanji, bracing himself for the onslaught of insults he was more than ready to dish back out. It never came, and Zoro's eyes widened in surprise as the cook tossed a small brown sack at his face, instead.

"Beat it, shitty swordsman," Sanji said without turning. "Get out of the kitchen. We're busy."

Zoro was about to snap back at him when he noticed the Mastinia sniffing excitedly at the sack. It was food, then. He managed a growl anyway before walking out of the galley and back onto the deck, skirting around the two women to avoid another argument (a sure sign that he was indeed tired) and headed for his weight room.

Maybe, Zoro thought, he would finally be able to take a nap. After all, third time's the charm.

Unfortunately for Zoro, the world doesn't always listen to what its people would prefer, and it didn't take him very long to figure that out.


	7. Chapter 7

And here we are: the seventh chapter of a story that was originally planned to be in no more than three parts. Ah, well. What can I say?

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.

Warnings: A bit of Language.

Enjoy!

* * *

"_Chopper!_"

Zoro frowned when the little reindeer jumped in alarm as he stomped his way into the kitchen, throwing the door wider than usual in his anger. "Hey, Chopper!"

"Y-eah, Zoro?" Chopper jumped down from the chair he had been standing on while holding the tape measure across Sanji's narrow shoulders. "What is it?"

Zoro strode over to the doctor and pushed the Mastinia at him, ignoring it's startled squealing. "Take it back!" he snarled. "I don't want the damn thing!"

"Wh-what?" Chopper asked, looking alarmed but accepting the baby animal anyway. "Why not? What happened?"

"I was just napping," Zoro started furiously. "And that annoying…_thing_ woke me up and- Look at this!" He pulled down the top edge of his haramaki a few inches to let the doctor inspect the new damage. "It _ate_ my _haramaki!_"

Chopper's furry brow drew in for a moment before he said. "It's just a small hole, Zoro. Nothing Nami can't fix."

"Small?" Zoro repeated incredulously. "It _crawled out _through this hole!"

"He's just a baby," the doctor reminded with forced patience and a hint of fear. "He doesn't know it's wrong."

Zoro took several steadying breaths to calm himself. He hadn't actually meant to scare Chopper at all. In all honesty he had hoped that if he made a big deal about the little mutant munching on his favorite haramaki, the doctor might reconsider and just take care of the damn animal himself. Unfortunately, it looked like his plan was backfiring.

"Fine," Zoro scowled and turned his face away from Chopper. "Whatever. Just…tell it not to do that again. Or something."

Chopper, looking acutely relieved, reached down with one hoof to pat the baby on the head. "You can't eat clothes," he told the little animal in his best doctor voice. "If you're hungry, we could probably find something else for you to eat, alright?"

_It's hungry again? _Zoro thought with annoyance. How many times did the miniature beast plan on eating in one day? He mentally corrected his earlier thought on the Mastinia being similar to Luffy; this thing was much worse.

"That's what happens, shit swordsman," Sanji said in a bored tone. "When you don't have enough brain power to even take care of a small pet."

Zoro turned on the cook, abruptly angry again. "It's not a pet!" he yelled. "It's a leech!"

"He's a _baby_," Chopper repeated. "He's probably just eating more than usual because he's growing. Isn't that right?" he looked down at the Mastinia with a small smile.

"Hm," said Zoro. So, he wasn't the only one to notice the fur ball's expanding size, even if it was minute.

Sanji sighed and brushed at the measuring tape still held by Usopp, ignoring the sniper's protesting squawks to return to his primary station. "If it's hungry," he shrugged, "not much else to do than to feed it. Right?" He began pulling at cupboards and drawers in an almost absent manner. "After all, a growing boy needs his nutrients."

"Oh yeah?" Zoro asked, feeling a little suspicious of the cook's behavior. "Did you forget what it is you're feeding? Nothing more than a pest. What about all that 'preserving food' crap you're always spouting?"

"If you ever used that thick head of yours for anything other than smashing into walls," Sanji began crisply, "You'd realize that this is probably pretty standard for a young Mastinia. Since these guys only live on certain islands, including the next one, it's more than likely that their home land has quite an abundant food source. And as we will be arriving on said island tomorrow, I'm not concerned with our stocks this time. We'll have plenty of opportunity to replenish the holding decks before we take off again." Sanji returned to where Zoro and Chopper were still standing near the open door, another brown bag in each of his hands, and shot an insolent look at the swordsman. "Now, did you catch all that? Or should I be making notes for you?"

"Shove it, love cook," Zoro growled. "Just give us the damn bags already, before the monster tries to eat my bandana too."

Sanji smiled smugly (probably picturing the destruction of Zoro's precious bandana) and held out the bags of food. "Here, then," he sighed. It obviously pained him a little to be so accommodating when the swordsman was involved, but as he had said earlier, there wasn't much else they could do. "And remember those aren't for you, shitty moss head."

"I got it, already," Zoro growled as he snatched the two bags from the cook with one hand and grudgingly accepted the Mastinia once again with the other. "And that next island can't come up fast enough." He spun on his heel and left the kitchen through the open door, stopping and turning back around a few steps later when he noticed Chopper had followed him. "What is it?" he asked in a softer tone than before.

"You don't have to worry about the harness thing," Chopper said quietly, smiling up at the swordsman. "I told Nami you'll be too busy looking for the Mastinia colonies to help with loading food this time, so she's putting one on Franky, instead."

"Thanks," Zoro nodded in acknowledgement. He waited until Chopper had returned to the kitchen and closed the door before taking the rodent out to the grass of the Sunny's deck in order to feed it. Again.

* * *

Dinner that night was pretty much the same as usual; loud, messy and somewhat violent. Zoro had managed to make the Mastinia stay with Robin long enough to eat his meal before Luffy did it for him, and was now on his second mug of beer as the noise died down to the sated murmuring of the crew he had grown used to.

The fur ball was currently sitting on his shoulder once more while he discussed some kind of sniping technique or other with Usopp.

"Fighting from high ground is good," Zoro nodded in agreement to a comment Usopp had made a moment before. "But direct combat is preferable, overall."

"Only for you," Usopp snorted. "I actually _like_ leaving a fight with as few injuries as possible, unlike some of us."

"I'm not afraid of injuries," the swordsman shrugged. "It just proves I'm strong enough to handle them."

"Yeah," Usopp looked unconvinced, "but I still say…I mean…okay. I'm sorry," the sniper shook his head. "But I just can't take you seriously with your pet curled up against your face like that."

Zoro growled in irritation and plucked the Mastinia from his shoulder, setting it on the table in front of him. "Better?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm. "You don't seem to care whenever Chopper almost suffocates me, why is this any different?"

"Chopper can talk," Usopp reasoned. "And he's a crew member. It's just weird to see you have a pet, I guess."

"How many times to I have to tell you?" Zoro scowled. "It's _not_ a pet. It's a _pest_."

"If you say so," Usopp shrugged, but knew better than to comment when the Mastinia hopped onto Zoro's hand and settled in for a nap.

Unfortunately the cook didn't feel any need to hold back, and the evening meal officially ended with Nami kicking Zoro, Sanji and even Luffy and Usopp (who were both protesting loudly that they hadn't even been involved in the first place) out of the kitchen for a good hour so she and Robin could continue planning the route they would be taking during the next few days.


	8. Chapter 8

Last chapter! Wow, this turned out a lot longer than I had expected but it was still a lot of fun to write.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.

Warnings: Brief, mild language.

Enjoy! And thanks to everyone who favorited and reviewed!

* * *

That night, as Zoro climbed onto his bunk after placing the Mastinia back in it's little bed, he listened with resignation for the thing to come scrambling up the wood to his side. It did so not a minute later, and Zoro stopped it with one finger against it's fuzzy forehead.

"How many times?," he grumbled quietly. "Get off."

"Just give it up, will you?" Usopp said tiredly from a few feet away. "He's been sitting on you all day, what's the big deal?"

"He's quite right," Brook agreed from the floor. "Perhaps it would be best to allow the curious little animal to stay with you, if just for the one night."

"That'd better be all it is," Zoro grumbled, but moved his hand back anyway. The Mastinia wasted no time crawling up onto his chest and curling against his shirt with a tiny sigh. Zoro frowned at it before closing his eyes. Now he would have to spend the night being somewhat consciously aware of the mini monster, so he didn't accidentally squish it in his sleep. What a pain in the ass this was turning out to be.

It took a little longer than usual but Zoro eventually managed to ignore the rodent's presence enough to fall asleep, although he didn't move an inch throughout the entire night. By the next morning this arrangement had left him with a few sore muscles and a sour outlook on life in general.

Where the hell was that island, anyway?

* * *

Breakfast had gone on in the same fashion as dinner the night before, and most of the morning consisted of Zoro scowling at Chopper (who was hovering nervously around the Mastinia and hinting that it might be safer for the baby to stay on the ship after all), yelling at Usopp (who was still trying to convince the swordsman to let him take the monster up to the top of the weight room for awhile), and Luffy (who was doing nothing more than being an obnoxious pest and only adding to the clamor on the deck as much as he possibly could). It had been an on-going battle until Nami had called the three younger crew members away to help Sanji with the ship's inventory before they landed later in the day.

By the time lunch had come around, Zoro had taken refuge in the cargo hold and Robin, having discovered his whereabouts by using her abilities, brought a box of food down to the hold shortly after noon.

"Here," she said, placing the box on an empty barrel and pausing to pet the Mastinia. "I apologize, Swordsman."

"Huh?" Zoro stopped pretending to be asleep in order to look up at her, raising an eyebrow in question. "For what?"

"I know this must be difficult," Robin shrugged. "Trying to take care of such a high-maintenance animal. But we'll be arriving at the next island within the hour, so it won't be long until you have your freedom again."

"Hm," said Zoro. He watched her turn and leave before taking a large chunk of fresh bread from the box and setting it on the floor next to him for the Mastinia. It pounced on the food as if it hadn't eaten in a week, devouring the modest meal within a few short minutes. Zoro also ate quickly, shoveling his lunch into his mouth and washing it down with the canteen of ale Robin had thoughtfully placed inside the box along with the food. He frowned as he removed a bowl of water from the corner of the container and set it down where the bread had been moments before.

True, he wanted to be rid of the fur ball, but it wasn't so much about having his freedom back. If he wanted to be honest with himself, he would have to say that it actually had more to do with the fact that the Sunny was way too dangerous for something of this size, and that it would be far better off in it's natural habitat.

Pushing the thought away for the moment, Zoro sighed and shifted around to lean back against a stack of crates. He still had time to get in a quick nap before the sea witch woke him up to help guide the ship in to anchor, and he was damn well going to take advantage of it.

* * *

Zoro glanced to the left, then to the right, and finally up into the trees, just in case. Still nothing. Where were they?

The Mastinia chirped next to Zoro's ear, as if echoing the swordsman's irritated thoughts, and flicked it's bushy tail from side to side.

They were standing in the middle of a wide animal trail half-way into the depths of the island's forest, completely blocked in by trees from every direction. They also seemed to be a few members shorter than they had been just a minute or two before.

"Dammit," Zoro muttered to himself looking around for any sign of either Robin, Chopper or Brook. "Where the hell'd they go?" He was more than certain the three had been walking just feet in front of him until now. He grumbled again and chose a direction at random, unwittingly stalking off on a path that would lead him even further away from the other Straw Hats. "I turn my back for one minute," he griped, "and they go and get themselves lost. Just great."

After a few more minutes of walking in the direction he was certain the Sunny was anchored, Zoro turned the corner around a ridiculously large tree and- there they were. Dozens of them were sitting on the rocks and grass around a small pool in a clearing, their sizes ranging from that of a dormouse to just bigger than a house cat. Zoro paused instinctively as the many Mastinia turned as one to look at him curiously, black eyes unblinking and pink noses twitching.

The baby animal on his shoulder began to chirp happily as it bounced in excitement, and was answered by the others of its kind in the same fashion. Zoro took a few more steps toward the pool and pulled the noisy little fur ball from his shoulder to sit in his hand. He had finally found the colony, something he had been looking forward to for the last several days, so why did he feel a small twinge of apprehension at the thought of leaving the baby here at the pool?

But the swordsman's hesitation lasted a mere second before he crouched down and set the young Mastinia on the grass in front of him. He looked up again as a low bark-like sound caught his attention. Another Mastinia, much older than the others judging by the graying whiskers and balding patches in its fur, had moved forward to accept the baby from him.

Zoro set his hand down next to the little creature in front of him and gazed sternly at the old rodent. "You'd better take care of this one," he said, a note of warning in his tone. The old Mastinia made the same barking sound and Zoro began to rise to his feet again, pausing just long enough to scratch the baby behind its furry ears. A very quick movement, but noticeable all the same. He turned on his heel to leave the clearing.

"Squeak…"

Zoro sighed and looked down over his shoulder. "It's fine," he said. "Just stay with them." He then turned again and left down the same path he had taken earlier, feeling the little rodent's eyes on him until he had turned the corner out of sight.

The small goal now accomplished, Zoro took a long breath and focused once again on finding his wayward crew members, following the direction of the sun and taking turns at random.

"There he is!" Chopper shouted. "Hey, Zoro!"

The swordsman turned, hands in his pockets, to see Chopper, Robin and Brook step through the trees to his right. "Hey," he answered.

"Look!" the little doctor said happily. "I think I've found out what the Mastinia eat, we can bring some back with us and…" Chopper trailed off as he finally noticed Zoro was alone this time, his smile fading by degrees until he sadly dropped the branch of berries to the ground and bowed his head. "Oh. I see. You found the colony?"

"Yeah," Zoro nodded shortly, trying to avoid looking at the crestfallen expression on Chopper's face. "Not too long ago. There are a lot more of them than I'd expected, actually."

"Don't worry, Doctor," Robin said gently. "He's better off with his own kind, they'll look after him."

"Yes," Brook agreed with a chuckle. "Although it will seem a bit less lively without the sight of such an interesting little animal. Ah! But I have no sight!"

The other three mouthed 'Skull Joke' along with the cackling musician before Zoro began moving forward once more.

"Come on," he said. "Let's get back to the ship already."

"That's a very good idea, Swordsman," Robin agreed in a mellow tone. "However, the ship is currently moored in this direction." She took Chopper's hoof when he raised it to her hand and started off on a path to Zoro's left.

Zoro held in his exasperation as he joined them a moment later. _They moved it _again_? Jeez._ He turned almost automatically toward his shoulder, pausing again when he remembered that he had left the little fur ball back in the clearing with the others. Apparently he had grown more used to the thing than he had realized, Zoro thought with a slight frown.

He trudged along behind his crew mates at a leisurely pace, thinking that maybe he wouldn't be quite so annoyed the next time their idiot captain came back with another strange animal as a pet.


End file.
